Tag Archives: Bricks by the Bay

The 7th annual Bricks by the Bay LEGO convention is taking place this weekend from August 18-21, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara, California. You can visit the public expo on Sunday to check out the over 33,000 square foot ballroom space filled with LEGO creations and vendors. For more info and to purchase tickets, visit Bricks by the Bay’s website.

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Since The Brothers Brick contributors can’t be everywhere all the time, we’re going to try being more consistent about bringing you coverage of important LEGO events from guest contributors. To start things off, here’s Carl Merriam to cover the recent Bricks by the Bay!

It’s been a little over a week since the doors closed at Bricks By the Bay 2012. It feels so much longer. Getting back into the flow of real life is always difficult after such a fun and rewarding convention. This year BBtB had more floor space, full use of the convention center theater and breakout rooms and quite a few more attendees and visiting public.

At the opening ceremonies we enjoyed some playful banter from LEGO Company representatives Kevin Hinkle, Jim Foulds, Steven Canvin, and Jenn Wagner. Hinkle also unveiled the new R2-D2 UCS set. I played with it myself and it does have some very nifty features, including folding computer interface and buzzsaw arms, as well as a “retractable third leg”.

On Saturday night the fire alarm in the hotel went off and everyone had to leave the exhibit hall. Most groups of people would have been frustrated. We took it as kind of an impromptu meet and greet. Talking about all things LEGO and getting to know the new people who were nearby, the time passed quickly. It turns out that the fire alarms were malfunctioning.

Attendees may have noticed BLARE Media running around all over the convention, filming scenes for the upcoming feature film Brick Madness. Justin McAleece, the film’s director, was kind enough to put together this brand new mashup of some scenes shot at BBtB 2012 for us to enjoy:

My only complaints about this year’s BBtB were the absence of both the Bricks of Character category (Iain, you know LEGO is more important than that work nonsense you’re always going on about) and the Nova Albion steampunk convention that we all so enjoyed cross-pollinating with last year. However, their absence was totally circumstantial and not controlled by BBtB. I wore my commemorative bricks for both all weekend in memorandum.

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As announced at BrickCon this past weekend, registration is now open for next year’s Bricks by the Bay convention, March 16-18, 2012.

Here’s the full announcement:

For the serious LEGO® builder we again will offer a LEGO fan convention! The event will be held Friday-Sunday, March 16-18. Benefits of attending the convention include:

Custom engraved name badge made out of LEGO bricks

Access to speeches, presentations, and discussion sessions

Show your models in the Grand Ballroom for convention attendees and the public

Become a vendor (additional fee applies) to sell LEGO and related products at the convention and public show

Exclusive discounts at the LEGO store (TBD)

Chance to receive free LEGO sets in Prize drawings and contests

The event theme this year is “Green.” It is inspired by the fact that St. Patrick’s Day takes place that weekend, but we’re not limiting it to that: any creative use of the color green, subjects relating to the environment, and of course Ireland or St. Patrick’s Day themed models are suitable. In 2010 our theme was “The Brick Artistic” and in 2011 it was “Creative Combinations.”

If you’re interested in attending the whole convention, read all about the Convention, Hotel, Registration, and Schedule, along with more information about the weekend’s
events.

Not sure if you want to come to the convention or just the public day? Read our FAQ to find out more.

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Announcing a LEGO convention for those in the southernWestern parts of the USA.

Registration is now open for the second annual Bricks by the Bay, taking place March 25th – 27th at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. Last year’s convention was agreed to be a great success by all who attended, and this year’s takes place at a new venue with over twice the space! Also, this is the same weekend originally planned for Brickfest 2011 (now cancelled) so if you had planned to attend Brickfest, consider making a trip to California instead. Registration is capped at 400 attendees and almost 100 have already signed up, so register now to secure your badge. Early registration discount offered until February 25th.

For more info check out the Bricks by the Bay site. There is also a call for presentations; if you’re interested in hosting a talk, break-out session, or special activity, contact Paul Sinasohn here.